News

London bombings July 2005

Like everyone else, the Trust was deeply affected by the tragic events in London on 7 July. At the Trust's annual dinner on Monday 10 July, the Grants Committee chairman, William Fraser, paid tribute to the work of all members of the public and voluntary emergency services, whose collective professional effort has been acclaimed form all quarters.

Earlier this year, the Trust made an exceptional grant of £200,000 to the British Red Cross towards their £1.5m appeal to fully re-equip and train their London disaster response teams. No-one could have predicted the timeliness of that award. We have heard from Sir Nicholas Young, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, that the equipment already purchased, was pressed straight into service last week by their volunteers and was instrumental in helping to save lives and treat those injured and traumatised by the blasts. We are so pleased to have been able to assist in this vital aspect of the aftermath of events.

We are also in conversation with Changing Faces, to see how the Trust might be able to assist them in helping people who suffered facial injuries and disfigurements - important work which requires experienced and sensitive handling, potentially over a long period of time, to help people re-adjust their lives.